A day hike to Mount Whitney and back to the Portal is not possible, so an overnight backpacking trip is a given. High elevations makes for thinner air and more challenging conditions.

Permits are required to hike this popular peak. They limit the amount of people that can be on these trails. A lottery tackles the choice of who gets to go this year. Annual deadline is April 30 @ recreation.gov

The tallest peak means this region is a super popular destination with avid hikers, mountaineers and backpackers alike. Usually only accessible about half the year, due to snow (NOV-MAY) and USDA permits are required.

Ansel Easton Adams was a famous photographer who shot black and white images of the Sierra Nevada and Yosemite National Park in the early 1900’s. Part of the original Wilderness Act in 1964 as the Minarets Wilderness, after his death in 1984, the area was expanded and renamed in honor of Ansel Adams, well-known environmentalist and nature photographer.

Ansel Adams Map USDA

This High Sierra terrain spans some of the most majestic areas of the Sierra Nevada – the youngest mountain range in the U.S. This wilderness is bordered by National Parks, National Forests, and other Wilderness Areas – all the way around it. Kaiser Wilderness and Lake Edison inside Sierra NF on the west, Yosemite National Park on the north, Inyo NF on the east side, and John Muir Wilderness on the south end. Wow!

REAL OLD MAP

This 230,300 acre, high elevation wilderness was formerly the Minarets Wilderness, renamed in 1984 to honor the pioneering landscape photographer, Ansel Adams. Known for spectacular alpine scenery, elevations range from 7,000 to 14,000 feet. Rugged granite peaks and passes, with alpine lakes, includes high country east of the Sierra crest. Pacific Crest Trail and John Muir Trail cross this High Sierra Wilderness region.